SPAK strikes cocaine network, how Dritan Gjika, Eldi Dizdari and Armando Pacani invested their money in Albania

A large-scale operation by the Special Prosecution has led to the issuance of 10 arrest warrants for well-known figures in crime and cocaine trafficking.

Details about how this group operated, as well as the money-laundering scheme through investments in Albania, were made public by “Në Shënjestër”.

The money obtained from international drug trafficking, as in any other criminal activity, had been carefully concealed.

These names were not unknown to the public, but the operation finalized by SPAK also uncovered the assets they had concealed through so-called frontmen, placing them under seizure.

For years, they had been identified as Albanian drug bosses capable of moving tons of narcotics from South America to Europe. In many cases, they had flooded the European market with cocaine. Meanwhile, in Albania there was little information about where and how their billions had been invested. Now, not only have they fallen into the net of justice, but the methods used to invest dirty money have also been uncovered.

At the center of SPAK’s latest operation, in which 10 arrest warrants were carried out, was the dismantling of a structured criminal group involved in international drug trafficking.

Among those placed under arrest are the names of Dritan Gjika, Eldi Dizdari and Armando Pacani.

According to the data, part of the profits from drugs had been invested in Albania, mainly in sought-after coastal areas. In this activity, they are suspected of being helped by builders who, more than acting as entrepreneurs, served as launderers of these individuals’ dirty money. Because of their profile, these individuals could not appear themselves as investors under their own names in Albania.

“SPAK, within the framework of criminal proceeding no. 138 of 2020, has finalized a complex operation against a structured criminal group involved in international trafficking of narcotic substances and laundering of the proceeds of crime, suspected of the criminal offenses of: ‘Trafficking in narcotic substances’, ‘Laundering the proceeds of crime’, ‘Structured criminal group’ and ‘Commission of criminal offenses by a criminal organization or structured criminal group’.

It has imposed the coercive personal security measure of ‘arrest in prison’ on 10 Albanian citizens, specifically: Nikoll Bibaj, Isa Aliu, Sokol Bibaj, Florjan Musaj, Armando Pacani, Denis Matoshi, Naldi Yzeiraj, Oklid Aliu, Dritan Gjika, Shpëtim Aliu. During the operation, the State Police searched homes and other locations, and during the operation the security measure was carried out against the person under investigation, Florian Musaj. Meanwhile, the search continues for two other individuals, who are suspected of being in Albania, while seven persons under investigation are not in Albania.

At the same time, 23 searches were carried out on individuals, homes, offices of commercial companies and natural persons,” SPAK said in its announcement.

This action, however, was not aimed only at striking international cocaine trafficking and the people connected to it, but also at identifying money laundering which, according to the investigation, was invested in Albania over the last 10 years. According to SPAK’s statement, these investments are numerous and spread throughout the country.

“During the years 2019-2021, this group operated in Latin America, Brazil, Belgium and the Netherlands. The investigation has created the suspicion that the suspects trafficked at least 50 tons of cocaine during the above-mentioned period. Of this amount, a total of 8 tons and 960 kg of the narcotic substance cocaine were seized.

The investigation has proven that a considerable part of the income obtained from international cocaine trafficking was transferred to Albania in cash form in order to avoid the banking system in the initial phase, and was then invested in real estate, in the creation and purchase of shares in commercial companies, various enterprises mainly in the fields of construction, hospitality, consultancy, etc.,” the Special Prosecution said in its announcement.